The Secret Might Be Down Tuning
An acoustic version of a song can be a breath of fresh air or make a song flop like fish out of water. I’m not sure what the secret is. Iron and Wine made Postal Service’s electronic “Such Great Heights” a folk beauty. Then there are other acoustic versions that are rushed together.
Which brings me to a recent video I found of the Script. I really, really, really love this band. The hooks they write are infectious.
People have been requesting The Script at my cover gigs at Stout and Lu & Carls recently. This insired me to search for an acoustic version of the song. I came across this clip filmed by Billboard Magazine:
Honestly, this isn’t their best performance. No biggie, but I can tell the singer’s voice is tired. (Have you seen their touring schedule? They need a rest!)
This reminds me of a tip Roy Caldwell told Aaron Noone and I years ago when we started gigging three nights a week. He said, “Change the key of those high songs! Down tune your guitar a half-step or whole-step.”
A half-step goes a long way. It can help save the vocal performance, stop the singer from pushing.
Plus, a keyboard player probably doesn’t even need to relearn the chords. The digital transposing options can take care of that!
The Script will find that great acoustic arrangement soon. I wonder if it will be a half-step lower than written?
